"Why, what's this?" exclaimed Hsiang-yuen laughing, opening, as she
spoke, the handkerchief.

On close scrutiny, they actually found four streaked rings, similar to
those she had previously sent, tied up in the same packet.

"Look here!" Lin Tai-yue smiled, "what a girl she is! Had you, when
sending that fellow the other day to bring ours, given him these also to
bring along with him, wouldn't it have saved trouble? Instead of that,
here you fussily bring them yourself to-day! I presumed that it was
something out of the way again; but is it really only these things? In
very truth, you're a mere dunce!"

"It's you who behave like a dunce now!" Shih Hsiang-yuen smiled.

"I'll speak out here and let every one judge for themselves who is the
dunce. The servant, deputed to bring the things to you, had no need to
open his mouth and say anything; for, as soon as they were brought in,
it was of course evident, at a glance, that they were to be presented to
you young ladies. But had he been the bearer of these things for them, I
would have been under the necessity of explaining to him which was
intended for this servant-girl, and which for that. Had the messenger
had his wits about him, well and good; but had he been at all stupid he
wouldn't have been able to remember so much as the names of the girls!
He would have made an awful mess of it, and talked a lot of nonsense. So
instead of being of any use he would have even muddled,
hickledy-pickledy, your things. Had a female servant been despatched, it
would have been all right. But as it happened, a servant-boy was again
sent the other day, so how could he have mentioned the names of the